I have been editing videos on the M4 MacBook Air for about six months now. Over that time, I have grown to love several things about this laptop, but I have also run into a few frustrations that I really hope Apple fixes in future versions.
This is a long-term, six month review of the M4 MacBook Air, specifically from a video editing perspective.
What I Love About the M4 MacBook Air
Ultra Compact Size That Changes How You Work
The first thing I love is the size.
This laptop is incredibly thin and lightweight.
I have used compact Windows laptops in the past, including Dell XPS and Precision models. While they were powerful enough for video editing, they were still bulky compared to the MacBook Air. Moving to such an ultra compact laptop that can still handle real video work felt like a big shift in how I travel and work.
Despite the size, the M4 MacBook Air can edit 4K and 6K footage without issue. That alone has been a huge productivity boost.
Before switching to the MacBook Air, I often avoided editing on planes. My Windows laptops were too large for tray tables, battery life was limited, and performance dropped noticeably when unplugged. Editing video on a plane was never a great experience.
That completely changed with the M4 MacBook Air.
It fits easily under the airplane seat, opens instantly, fits comfortably on the tray table, connects to my AirPods automatically, and within a minute I am editing video at 36,000 feet with a very minimal setup. That convenience alone has made me far more productive while traveling.
Impressive Video Editing Performance
The second thing I love is the performance, especially for video editing.
Apple designed the M series chips with dedicated hardware video encoders and decoders. While CPUs have done this in the past with technologies like Quick Sync, Apple has taken it much further by making video processing a core focus of the chip design.
On most Windows laptops, video encoding relies heavily on a dedicated GPU. That adds cost, complexity, and drains battery life faster. With the M4 chip, video encoding and decoding are handled extremely efficiently.
The result is smooth playback, fast timeline scrubbing, and responsive editing, even with 4K, 6K, and higher resolution footage. The laptop rarely feels stressed during normal editing tasks.
Before this MacBook Air, I used a small Asus laptop while traveling. It was fine for backing up footage, but editing was not realistic. If I wanted to edit, I had to bring a larger laptop or wait until I got home.
Now, the MacBook Air is the only laptop I bring. I back up footage and edit directly on it, and it handles the workload without issue.
Where the M4 MacBook Air Shows Its Limits
Slower Export Times
While the editing experience itself is excellent, exports are slower.
The MacBook Air has no fan and only one set of hardware encoders and decoders. When exporting video in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Adobe Media Encoder, render times are noticeably longer than on higher end Macs.
Exports can take two to three times longer compared to a MacBook Pro with an M4 Max or a Mac Studio with an M3 Ultra. Those machines have more encoders and active cooling, which makes a big difference for rendering.
Multitasking also reveals the limits of the MacBook Air.
If I am rendering one 6K video while editing another, playback can start to stutter. I have especially noticed this when trying to play multiple streams of 6K footage while Media Encoder is running in the background.
If you are a heavy multitasker, this is something you need to keep in mind. As long as you understand these limits and work within them, the overall experience is still very good.
Battery Life Is Incredible, With One Caveat
Battery life is one of the standout features of the M4 MacBook Air.
On an international flight, I edited video for several hours in DaVinci Resolve. When I checked the battery, it had dropped from 100 percent to 89 percent. That level of efficiency is impressive.
My old Windows laptop would have been warning me about low battery long before that point.
However, after six months of use, I noticed one important downside.
External SSDs Drain the Battery Faster
When editing from the internal SSD, battery life is excellent.
When editing from an external SSD, battery life drops much faster.
The laptop has to power the external drive while constantly reading and writing large video files. That additional workload uses significantly more power.
Instead of losing around 11 percent over several hours, battery usage can jump to 50 or 60 percent. In real-world terms, battery life drops to around 6 to 8 hours.
That is still good, but it is no longer mind blowing.
Storage Is the Biggest Mistake I Made
The only upgrade I purchased was increasing storage from 256 GB to 512 GB for $200.
In hindsight, I should have gone with at least 1 TB.
I frequently have to copy files onto the laptop, then move them off again just to make room to edit from the internal SSD. This forces me to rely on external SSDs more often, which hurts battery life and adds friction to my workflow.
That said, upgrading from 256 GB to 1 TB costs another $400. That pricing is frustrating, even if the performance benefits are real.
At the very least, Apple should raise the base storage to 512 GB. Just like Apple increased the base memory from 8 GB to 16 GB, storage needs the same treatment.
The MacBook Air Needs More Ports
Another area I would love to see improved is port selection.
I understand that the MacBook Air is an entry-level laptop, but it is powerful enough that many creators rely on it daily. Even one additional USB-C port on the right side would make a big difference.
It would help with file transfers, charging flexibility, and using multiple external devices at once. I lost my MagSafe charging cable early on and now charge over USB-C, which makes the limited ports even more noticeable.
I am not asking for HDMI or an SD card reader. One or two more USB-C ports would go a long way for video editors.
Final Thoughts on the M4 MacBook Air for Video Editing
The M4 MacBook Air has become my go-to travel editing laptop. It is ultra compact, powerful, and reliable.
It does have limitations. Export times are slower, storage upgrades are expensive, and port selection is minimal. Even so, I do not regret buying it at all.
Looking ahead, I hope Apple improves export performance, increases base storage, and adds more USB-C ports in future versions. These are the main things I will be watching for when the M5 MacBook Air is released.
If you would like to see that review, let me know!